Earlier on this Sunday morning, a man by the name of Omar Mateen, 29, from Port St. Lucie Florida, opened fire at a night club called the Pulse in Orlando, Florida. This night club is known for being a gay club, which is what I believe to be one of the main reasons the shooter chose the venue.
This shooting has so far killed 50 people and ruined the lives of hundreds more. Not only did this shooting affect the lives of Orlando dwellers, but also all Americans. Because when Omar decided to take the lives of these people, he called 911 and pledged his allegiance to ISIS. This changes the whole tone of this massacre. Not only was he targeting one group, he was also targeting every American also.
The media will mainly focus on the fact that this was an ISIS attack. But I want to focus on what this also means for the smaller groups of people affected.
One of these groups affected was the gay community. Gay bars and night clubs are an opportunity for these people to openly be themselves. To be a majority in the minority. And now that someone has done such an atrocious thing to these people's safe place, it puts fear into their hearts. What if this happened at a bar you went to? In your place to go for fun? To relax? It makes me fear for my friends and family who are gay. What if someone targets them just because of who they love? This topic has been talked about for YEARS. Why is this still an issue?
Another group that will be affected is those who are Afghani descent. This attack will make some people generalize and decide that every person from the Middle East is related to ISIS, which of course is a brash generalization that is ridiculous. Just because you get bitten by a dog, that doesn't mean that every dog is bad. This also goes for people. Every person is different. It is racist and ridiculous to say that a person from a specific place or of a certain religion is a terrorist. Terrorism is not related to religion. It is related to a disgusting and harmful mindset.
Those who do have mental illness will also be looked at under a microscope. This attacker was ill, and the media will exploit that. Every person with mental illness is different, and every single person should know the warning signs of someone who needs help with their mental illness. America needs to be educated on what to look for and who to call with questions and concerns. This man was seriously disturbed. His father saw that he had anger towards the gay community but did not exploit it. I believe that this man needed an ear to talk to, to not only get him the help he needed but to even get authorities if it was something as concerning as these thought were.
Of course, there's no way to change these events. There's always someone to blame. At this time we shouldn't blame, we should keep these victims and families in our thoughts, and see the signs and warnings in the future. If you hear something weird or concerning that a person says, ask them about it, don't just let it slide. Think of the families. Think of the victims. Think of the future.
